Your nipple piercings are a threat to national security. A Texas woman says she was in tears, and pain and left feeling humiliated after TSA employees made her remove her nipple piercings before being allowed to pass through security. In response, a TSA spokesman said that if an alarm goes off, “until that is resolved, we’re not going to let them go through the checkpoint, no matter what they’re wearing or where they’re wearing it.”
Woman Says TSA Forced Piercings Removal [AP] (Thanks to Benny!)
More From Consumerist
-
Woman Accused Of Groping TSA Agent Claims Turnabout Is Fair Play
-
Dying Woman Says TSA Humiliated Her By Refusing To Perform Search In Private
-
Passenger Says TSA Handled Her Feeding Tube During Strip Search
-
Undercover TSA Inspector Gets Through Airport Security Just Fine With Fake Bomb In His Pants
-
Petition Calls On White House To Require TSA To Seek Public Comment On Full-Body Scanners
@eury:
I should’ve figured someone must’ve already done it. I just think it’s very likely to get infected and accidentally set off the gag reflex very often especially when swallowing. Judging by how many people have done it, my suspicions are probably wrong.
Anyway, I wonder how many of my friends will want to try the cervix piercing.
Why are so many saying that the TSA should apologize? All we ever hear is that if so-and-so apologized things would be different/better. If the criminal had felt remorse or apologized for their crime, then the sentence/punishment would be adjusted accordingly.
Forget that. The only ones who apologize are the ones who regret getting caught rather than regret what they have done.
I’m sick of all the apology talk. The TSA employee or anyone should be punished, not made to apologize.
They clearly did this because they have the “power” to do so. Idiots who can get real jobs now have power over all the people that wouldn’t hire their stupid @$$es!
As Morrissey sings in “How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel”
“…and as for you in your uniform
your smelly uniform
and so you think you can be rude to me
because you wear a uniform
a smelly uniform
and so you think you can be rude to me
but even I / as sick as I am
I would never be you
even I / as sick as I am
I would never be you
even I / sick and depraved
a traveler to the grave
I would never be you
I would never be you”
I find it hard to sympathize with the woman. it was her perogative to put the nipple peircings in and nobody elses. I would rather my safety be assured while flying than tolerate the “expressiveness” of other peoples private bits.
I’ve had piercings and have tattos of my own, and you are well informed at the time when the procedure is done, of how taking out the piercings works and if it will hurt.
this woman knew this. and in light of that, she still took her nipple piercings out in the boarding area behind a curtian because she valued the flight more than the pain she was about to feel and the embarrasment of having to undress in public.
if that’s too much for you? cancel the flight, voice your complaint and take the damn bus instead. don’t just wimper onto the plane and then weasel in a complaint telling people that TSA “forced you” to take out your nipple rings. they didn’t force her to do anything. the security policy is crystal clear: if the alarms go off, the metal has to go. and if you’re not okay with that? pack up and go elsewhere.
I’m getting sick of people claiming that they were “forced” to do something, when in reality they agreed to a policy and simply didn’t like it.
My piercing is non ferrous, but I still wouldn’t want to remove it in public. I like to keep my pants on in the airport
For those who wish to throw the blame onto the woman involved think of these questions:
Are the rules clearly stated?
Many of us wear rings, bracelets and necklaces, without thinking of them as an impediment to getting on a plane. If they are flagged, we assume that simply showing them to the agents will be sufficient to allow us passage. Why would any one assume that nipples rings would be different?
Why are the standards enforced so differently?
Within the airport, between travelers and even in this situation on the body of the person in question, the “standards” are applied very differently. Heck, I can bring on my knitting needles which are far more deadly than any nipple ring!
Should all non violent, non disruptive behavior that “deviates” from the norm be banned from flying?
Clearly no one can argue that the tiny piece of metal was either disruptive (no one could see it from the outside) nor dangerous (many other tiny pieces have been let through). What about my underwire bra? Should I be expected to remove it if I wish to fly? I assure you, many women would be very put out should underwires be declared dangerous.
Zomg Nipples!
That’s odd. I’ve worn my belly button ring every single time I’ve flown, never set off any alarms, never got molested by TSA.
So much for the “no matter what they’re wearing or where they’re wearing it” bullshit. TSA really needs to re-evaluate their training mechanisms, if they think raising flags and ringing bells over a nipple ring is necessary.
@dizavin: “if the alarms go off, the metal has to go.”
yes but where did the metal go…if it went into her pocket, what was accomplished! And why didn’t the belly jewelery have to go.
@snoop-blog: cmon it could be anything down there…lol.
Reminds me of a quote from Fear Effect 2: The Most Overhyped and Underwhelming Game Ever:
I hate myself for playing that game through to the end.
@Saboth: Actually, I’ve had a couple of friends with pins and/or rods in their bodies, and typically they have a physician’s statement for TSA or anyone else, basically stating that they have those things in their bones. Kind of a “don’t fuck with me, jackass” measure.
@超外人: I saw the cervix piercing and it looks entirely too uncomfortable. Besides, why would I want to pierce that part of me, since it would only be seen by my OB/GYN?
TSA is a JOKE!
a) You know (or should have known) that you will need to go through a metal detector to board an aircraft. This has been the case for several decades, well before any crazy terrorist action.
b) Knowing (a) you decided to do something that would make (a) difficult or impossible.
c) You are complaining… why? Hello personal responsibility!
If you can’t remove the piercings that you chose to put on your body, you bear the ultimate consequences of your decision. You should have talked to your doctor about your decision and how it has now permanently affected your life (ie: You cannot go through metal detectors without setting them off now).
Your doctor would have given you a note (and placed it in your medical file) that your personal decision has caused you to permanently have a piece of metal attached to your body that is not removable without extreme pain.
You could now go through the metal detector, knowing that if you set it off, you could hand the TSA a note explaining the situation. You would have been treated the same way someone with a metal bolt or head plate would have been treated.
Now, while I feel somewhat bad for people who, through no specific fault of their own, ends up “disabled”, someone who makes a personal decision that affects their lives and doesn’t take care of the issue before going to an airport will have problems. And, unless something was done glaringly wrong, will receive zero sympathy from me. I think the TSA acted appropriately considering they chose not to visit a doctor previously. The person could have refused, left the airport, and gotten the appropriate documentation. Instead they chose the more painful option: Another personal decision with unsurprising consequences.
Hopefully this will serve as a lesson: Don’t hug personal responsibility toy without steel gloves.
Sorry if I come off harsh, but I see this a lot…
People with metal in their bodies for medical reasons usually have doctor’s notes. My father had a knee replacement and has a card the surgeon gave him to show the screeners. He’s was still flagged for further searches an absurd number of times because they didn’t like how much the wand beeped over his knee. One time he was screamed at a lot because he was too slow taking off his pants. It was loud enough I could easily hear it while waiting outside the screening room. What exactly do they expect of senior citizens? He’s obviously arthritic and setting no land speed records at anything.
His travel wardrobe now involves bike shorts under sweatpants. Even in the dead of winter. He takes the sweatpants off before going through security and puts them on again after. They still wave the wand at his knee a lot. It’s also not a pretty sight for the spectators, but it has stopped him from being flagged for additional searches.
The problem really isn’t the policy. Most of the nonsense he suffered was directly against every policy they have. Policies aren’t much good without properly trained people who follow them.
What I have yet to see anyone (least of all the TSA) explain is WHY the piercing had to come out. Let’s go through this for a second.
A person walks through the detector and it alarms. They tell her to empty her pockets, take off her belt, watch, visible jewelry, etc. It all comes out and off, and she still sets off the alarm, so they go over her with the wand. The only place the wand beeps is over her breasts so she explains that she has stainless steel nipple piercings. The agents asks to see them, and sure enough there they are. The agent can wave the wand over the piercing and get a beep, but doesn’t get a beep anywhere else, so the agent can be sure that the only metal on this person is at the nipple.
Now, having determined this, WHY THE HELL DOES THE PIERCING HAVE TO COME OUT. Are we afraid that the woman is hiding metal weapons or bomb parts in her breasts and using the nipple piercings as cover? Or do we think that the piercings themselves may be bombs or weapons because they are unusual?
I don’t care whether she should have taken the train or taken out the piercings at home or whatever. The point here is, once the TSA agent saw what they were, and saw that they were the object setting off the detector, the agent was done. The intent is to make sure that objects going on the plane are safe, not to make sure that all metal objects are removed from the person before they pass. We generally have people remove all metal objects because it is more efficient them wanding every single person and examining everything they are wearing or have in their pockets. But if you see the offending object and determine it’s not a weapon, then the job is done, right?
Have we lost all sense of why we do this stuff? Where is the perspective here?
Ummm … pity the poor soul who has a prosthetic metal hip replacement! “They will not be allowed to pass through if the alarm goes off” … or some shit like that. Sorry ma’am … we’re going to have to cut off your leg before you can continue on your dream vacation.
Besides the fact that they have signs posted everywhere warning you that you will be forced to remove all metal objects, including jewelry, it’s also probably police to send customers through the metal detectors until it no longer goes off. They can’t simply take your word for it that it’s your nipple rings setting off the metal detectors, you could still be hiding a pocket knife in your body cavities.
Bottom line, she knew the rules and shouldn’t be complaining. When I get to the metal detector I always check my various pockets for anything metal, and even some things that may not be metal, just so that I can get through the metal detector quickly and without issue. I just think this is something she should have been prepared for, and if not, she shouldn’t be making such a fuss about it.
This is stupid. My nipple (or any of my) piercings do not set off anything at the airport. However I would be unable to remove them myself without the openers I have at home (for the rings) or from the help of a piercer (for all the others). And none of my piercings hurt to wear and I don’t think they’d hurt to remove… But I believe the woman in that if I had to take my nipple piercings out with pliers, all by myself, I’m sure I’d hurt myself.
I’ve flown many times with my piercings. What the hell? I side with the woman on this one.
It seems that in reaction to that incident the TSA has changed their
policies on body piercings:
[news.yahoo.com]
Relevant passage:
@MataHari: at least you weren’t told to take it off & hand it over if you wanted to get to the gate. asshole guard (male) made that little ultimatum at Sky Harbor *prior* to 9/11 when i was trying to pick up my husband who’d arrived on a red-eye.
@Lin-Z: i quite agree.
@bugsbenny36: damned straight but it’s only going to be getting worse, much worse, before it gets better. . . .
@Witera33it: that prurient difference is likely why things got so ridiculously outta hand.god help her if she’d been pierced lower down as i’m sure those petty power tripping abusive asshats would have insisted on additional removals!
apology her aching tatas. the scum should be pierced & then put thru the same bs she was.
@levenhopper: as if the gov’t, airlines, TSA or whoever would spend the time & money to have real professionals like those.
i wish!
Pretty sure nobody has a vagina piercing–pierced external genitalia, sure, but not a pierced vagina.
@Witera33it: Not strictly true. Bioplast/bioflex is a plastic designed for piercings (and medical implants, like the new kneecap I’ll eventually need). There are sourcing problems, as with stainless steel: a lot of places claim to be bioplast when they use ptfe (which can degrade, yes), similar to how a lot of places say they have stainless steel jewelry (when what you need is a surgical grade stainless–not enough consumers realize it comes in grades at all). But, real bioplast is autoclave-able, safe for new and healed piercings, and fine for permanent wear.
I’m not a shill, I swear. I do have a nostril piercing that would have been long retired if not for my bioflex screw, though. I had terrible allergic reactions to every metal I tried, and that is a painful piercing to mess with and be changing the jewelry all the time.
There’s no reason for any piercing to be removed. The TSA needs to concentrate on real problems – assuming that’s even possible – like people actually bringing guns on planes.
@TheSeeker:
where did the metal go? who knows. it can go in a bucket at the back of the plane, for all I care. these detectors are calibrated to pick up certain quantities of various metals that could be used as parts and components of malicious devices, as well as solid objects that could be used as weapons. her nipple rings set off the alarm. so then the rules were set in action: those bits of metal have to go.
And when you have dozens of lives on your responsibility, every flight? I wouldn’t take any chances, either. and to make the laughable assumption that the airline could let it go, JUST this one time? or have an agent on hand to work out these little kinks? well hey, that can be your job cause I, for one, would refuse to take a job like that.
the fact still remains that she was, in no way, forced to do ANYHTING. She agreed to the policy of removing the nipple rings because, to her, making the flight was worth more than her pride or self respect of staying clothed in public and now she’s looking for a hand-out. if she REALLY thought that taking her rings out would be a degrading and insulting act, she would have given the airline the one-finger salute, packed up her things, signed up with another mode of transportation and lobbied her case to get a refund.
seriously. sometimes I think I’m the only sane person left, on the planet.
@Skeptic: umm.. dude. I dated two women who had clitoris piercings.